


Day by Day

by lossifovna



Series: Law & Order: Auror Department [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: (Scorpius/Rose is background), Auror Harry Potter, Aurors, Comedy, Crimes & Criminals, F/M, Harry Potter Next Generation, M/M, Not created by Dick Wolf, One Shot Collection, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:48:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28671783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lossifovna/pseuds/lossifovna
Summary: After travelling through time from 1986 to 2016, Henry Cooper (also known as Harry Potter) is now settled as an Auror in the renowned Violent Crimes Section. Together with his partners Rose Granger-Weasley, Liam Savage, Gabriel Corner and their boss, Jack Sloper, not to mention the enigmatic Kevin, they solve (or not) all kinds of investigations, even the most difficult.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Original Male Character(s), Scorpius Malfoy/Rose Weasley
Series: Law & Order: Auror Department [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2096658
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. The day life went back to normal

**Author's Note:**

> These are independant one-shots I wrote because I couldn’t say goodbye yet to the characters! It’s mostly silly ideas I did not get to use while writing the main story turned into one chapter stories. There will be humour, murders, friendship, sex, general stupidty… Guaranteed free of angst and serious drama, because sometimes it feels good to write/read funny stories. I might add a chapter from time to time, depending if I feel like writing about them, but I won’t have a regular schedule as I’m currently working on something entirely different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Set three days after the end of Les Fleurs du Mal.) In which there’s a murder, old people, new colleagues and all is (mostly) well.

With his feet propped on his desk, Harry was enjoying his second bowl of Froot Loops, lost in thought, his hand mechanically caressing Kevin who was curled up on his lap. He had arrived at the Department _unusually_ early, _inhumanly_ forced out of bed by Gabriel at an absolutely _unreasonable_ hour. Really, what a crazy idea to go to work before nine o'clock... Footsteps accompanied by familiar voices suddenly caught his attention. The young man turned his head just in time to see Rose and Liam arrive and they stopped dead in their tracks when they spotted him.

The three Aurors stared at each other silently. A minute passed. Then Harry gave them his best smile.

“It's Harry,” Rose said in an irrevocable tone.

“How do you know?” Liam whispered without taking his eyes off the young Auror. “He hasn't said anything yet.”

“That smile, the gleam in his eyes, Kevin on his lap. There's no doubt, it's him.”

“It’s who?” a gruff voice asked behind her.

Jack appeared, his face still bearing the traces of sleep. His gaze fell on Harry, and he froze. “Ha... Harry?” he blurted. “Is it really you? It's not a joke?”

The latter swallowed his spoonful of colourful sweet cereal and nodded slowly.

“My horoscope was right. " _Aries, a terrible menace is about to reappear in your daily life; you will have to learn to live with it_ "... Merlin, I always thought it was all nonsense.”

“Menace?” Harry replied indignantly. “Are you calling me a menace, old man?”

“But how can that be?” his superior asked hastily, ignoring him. “Why are you still here? Where the hell is Henry Cooper?”

Harry put his bowl on his desk, held Kevin down and let his legs fall to the ground. His colleagues stared at him as they waited for his answer, which was slow in coming.

“So, see, there is a perfectly logical explanation…”

“We don't know,” Gabriel interrupted him, appearing behind him and then settling down at his post.

“ _You_ don't know,” Rose repeated, squinting. “You were in on this, Lieutenant?”

“Harry thought that by going through the tunnel, he could give Henry his life back and leave in peace. I was there to greet Cooper, but I received the wrong Auror when he came out.”

“As if you had a problem with that,” the said wrong Auror mumbled, giving him a sideways glance.

“And what have you been doing for the past three days?” the young woman asked, sitting down in turn, scrutinising her two colleagues with interest.

The Lieutenant's ears turned pink, and he pretended to stifle a coughing fit that prevented him from answering.

“Research?” Harry tried, accompanying his answer with a smile that he hoped was convincing.

“And you stayed at his place all this time?”

 _Merlin, she wouldn't give up_. Keeping their relationship a secret was going to be a real challenge. Not that the young man had any problem with his colleagues knowing about it, but his partner had insisted that they said nothing, at least at first.

“Harry didn't want to go back to Cooper's old flat,” Gabriel explained. “I'm lending him my couch until he finds a place he likes.”

The young Auror decided to change the subject because of Rose's scepticism. He put Kevin back in his pot and then stood up, stretching his arms above his head with a sigh of contentment.

“One thing is certain,” he said. “After being killed, coming back to life and solving a thirty-year-old mystery, I've learned some important lessons from these experiences.”

“I have a feeling there's going to be a terrible distortion between these and the real lessons you should have learned,” Gabriel replied.

“I am immortal, and no investigation can resist me.”

  
  


It took only a few hours for the routine to resume at the Auror Department and Harry's near disappearance was soon relegated to the past. Many cases had been put on hold during their investigation into Adler and now had to be resolved. Gabriel and Liam took over ongoing cases while Rose was putting the finishing touches to one of her reports.

The young woman joined Harry in the break room a few minutes later, where she found him in the middle of one of his eternal arguments with Kopi, the house elf in charge of their coffee supply.

“I swear, Rose,” he told her once she had managed to order the drinks they wanted. “This awful little gremlin has a personal vendetta against me. He tried to serve me a cup of cod liver oil and assured me it was coffee.”

“In his defence, you have insulted him and his ancestors for eight generations on your first week here. For house elves, family is sacred and they can be very resentful”

“It was unintentional! Who would have guessed that asking him if he was unionized was such an affront?!”

“Anyone used to being around house elves…”

Their conversation was interrupted by the sudden arrival of Jack. “Ah, good, you're both here!” the latter said, handing them a file. “I have a new case for you. You'll have to team up for this one.”

“Ooh! What do we have, Chief?”

“Murder.”

The two Aurors appeared at the coordinates indicated, in front of a magnificent wrought-iron gate. The huge manor house that stood behind it overlooked the town from the small hill on which it stood and on a large sign it read _Settingsun, Residence for Elderly Wizards_.

“An old people's home?” Harry blurted as he looked at the place with surprise. “Are we really going to investigate a murder in a retirement home?”

“Looks like it, Rookie,” Rose replied before turning to her partner with big eyes. “I mean Hen- Harry!”

“Pfft. Never mind. I've gotten so used to you calling me "Rookie" that it feels weird when you don't.”

When she heard these words, a big satisfied smile lit up the young woman's face. “Rookie it is, then!” she exclaimed, accompanying her words with a violent pat on the back that almost sent him into the nearest bush.

Harry felt as if his every step was sinking into the soft carpet that covered the floor of the large main sitting room. His gaze swept across the room, decorated in a rich and sumptuous rococo style in shades of pink and gold. The sunlight filtering through the large windows made the glass diamonds that adorned the chandeliers shimmer, illuminating the many portraits of the Queen of England hanging on the purple walls.

“What a terrible tragedy, my children,” the distinguished director of the Settingsun Residence lamented, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye with her small embroidered handkerchief. “He was such a charming man. Appreciated by all, residents and staff alike. I really don't understand who could have wanted to hurt him.”

“We don't doubt it,” Rose replied. “Can we see the crime scene?” she asked tactfully and empathetically.

Dwight Truttle, ninety-eight years old, was found dead in his room that morning. Given his advanced age, it could well have been a natural death. However, the way he was found, with his skull opened by a large occipital wound, seemed to tell a different story.

By the time the two detectives arrived, the body had already been taken to St Mungo and only the silhouette drawn on the ground remained to indicate its location.

“Do you think he was killed with a walker?” Rose whispered to her partner with a small smile.

Harry was about to answer her, when his gaze fell on the decoration of the old man's room. His eyes widened and a gleam of excitement lit them up.

“By Merlin's holy moustache!” he exclaimed as he rushed to one of the shelves full of shiny objects. “No wonder his name sounded familiar!”

“What?” asked his colleague as she joined him. “What is it? You're all excited. You look like a five-year-old kid who just saw Santa. Don't wet yourself.”

“It's Dwight Truttle! Legend of Quidditch! Voted Best Chaser on the Planet for five years in a row by Snitch Magazine from 1941 to 1946! Look,” he said, grabbing a picture of the players lined up in a row, young and smiling. “It's his first team, the Howling Wolves of Old-Ditch! It's unbelievable!”

The young man turned the frame over to read the names of the players. _Simon Garble, Lewis Bristlewand, Moebius Flimsby_ ,... Some of these players had had great professional careers afterwards.

“I think I've found the murder weapon!” Rose called out to him, in front of another shelf.

As she spoke, she pointed at the 1944 Quidditch World Cup trophy with her wand and levitated it in a transparent bag she had just conjured. On the base of the object, traces of clotted blood were clearly visible, leaving little doubt that it had recently been used against Truttle's skull.

“But I don't understand,” Harry said, frowning. “Why kill someone who already has one foot in the grave?”

“Were there any residents he was close to?” Rose asked, turning to the director.

“Oh, there is Pepper Creepingbear, her lover. Follow me,” she told them.

Without giving them time to react, she stiffly turned around and walked down the long corridor towards the living room. The two Aurors hurried to catch up with her.

“Lover?” Harry asked, once he had reached her. “You mean...?”

“You know, some of our residents may be in their nineties, but they can still have a very active sex life.”

The young Auror shared a horrified look with his partner. He didn't like the direction this conversation was taking.

“Do you let them have sex?” Rose asked in a breath.

“They are consenting adults. They can do what they want. Occasional sexual intercourse between residents is extremely common in senior residences.”

“But is it safe?”

“What risks are you thinking about?” Harry asked curiously.

“I don't know,” the young woman answered, shrugging her shoulders. “A fractured hip can happen so quickly. At that age, their bones are so brittle... A slightly forceful thrust of hips and _crack_...” 

He knew he should not have asked the question.

“Oh, of course we offer protection spells,” the director hastened to add. “However, we already can't get them to put on their dentures... Ah, here is Pepper!”

Sitting in a yellow velvet armchair, the old woman watched them approach with curiosity. Her short, curly hair had surprising purple highlights and her thick glasses took up most of her wrinkled face.

“Pepper,” the director said, addressing the old woman with a shout. “These young people are Aurors. They are here to investigate Dwight's death.”

“Oh, wonderful,” Pepper replied in a cheerful little voice.

She stood up and approached Harry and, without warning, pinched his cheeks.

“I hope you're doing well at school, love,” she said with a toothless smile.

After she let him go, the young man massaged his face and shot a dark look to Rose, who was mocking him openly.

“Mrs Creepingbear,” he said. “We would like to ask you about your relationship with Mr. Truttle.”

“Oh, Dwight, rest his soul, was a real gentleman,” the old woman replied with a gleam of affection in her eyes. “But above all he was extremely vigorous, a real stallion in bed.”

“And that's more information than I would have liked to know,” Harry murmured with his eyes closed, trying to chase away the images conjured up by his imaginative brain.

Pepper told them nothing of real interest, describing her relationship with the victim as purely carnal and entertaining, with great emphasis on detail; she seemed to have no reason to have wanted to harm the old man. The two Aurors spent the rest of the morning interviewing the residents and staff present at the time.

“Did Mr. Truttle have a family?” Rose finally asked the director to conclude their visit to the Settingsun Residence.

“A son, Hector Truttle. Their relationship was conflictual to say the least.”

An air of disgust seemed to paint her strict face as she spoke of the said son, and she leaned towards the detectives, a hand covering her lips as if to confide in them an unmentionable secret.

“He is a former beatnik who has never given up his depraved lifestyle. I know he was looking forward to inheriting the colossal fortune of dear Dwight, but the latter had recently decided to change his will.”

“Who was the new beneficiary?”

“Dwight never told me.”

  
  


In the early afternoon, Harry and Rose returned to the Department for a quick lunch in the cafeteria. They took the opportunity to review what they had learned that morning. Pepper Creepingbear, ninety-five years old, lover of the victim, wasn’t that much affected by his death, but as she had said "at that age, you have to live every day as your last". The director seemed genuinely touched by Truttle's death. His death represented a loss of earnings for her; she had no interest in seeing him six feet under so soon.

The residents had shown a variety of reactions, ranging from indifference, sadness and memory disorders, nothing that could incriminate them. The staff had answered questions, but nothing more, and one of the healers had seemed particularly hostile towards the investigators. Only the son was left, a potential suspect. Inheritance matters were often redundant motives in murder cases.

“Either that, or it's a terrible story of revenge against the backdrop of the theft of an apricot roll at snack time. I'm sure the world of senior residences is ruthless and full of secrets...”

“Speaking of secrets, you're staying at Gabriel's?” Rose asked innocently as she finished her dessert, changing the subject of conversation.

“Mh hm,” he nodded.

“Interesting. Do you have something else to confess?”

“Mh hm,” he repeated, this time shaking his head, with a negative intonation.

“I'll find out the truth eventually,” she mumbled, squinting. “What are you going to do about my parents? Are you going to tell them who you really are?”

The young Auror put down his fork and turned his eyes to the rest of the cafeteria, watching the employees come and go for a few seconds.

“They have finally found the answers to their questions and have just buried me,” he said at last. “It wouldn't be wise to come back into their lives when they've grieved.”

“So are you going to live as Henry Cooper?”

“I think it's the right thing to do. Besides, it's exciting, I feel like a spy and living a double life!”

“If you were a spy, I want to make it clear that you would be more like Lazlo Freeman than 007.”

“Lazlo Freeman?”

“Don't you know him? He's the hero of a very popular book series, Scorpius is a fan. _Lazlo Freeman, the wizard spy who causes more diplomatic incidents than he solves._ ”

“Mh. I sense a touch of sarcasm in this comparison, all of a sudden.”

“What?” Rose was offended. “No! Come on, I would never dare!”

  
  


Harry dreaded the visit to the St Mungo mortuary, the memories of his time with Adler still far too fresh in his mind. Rose seemed to sense his apprehension and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder as they entered the forensic office to retrieve the autopsy report. _Killer Queen_ 's lyrics, resonating at full volume, were the first thing they heard as they opened the door.

In the room, a young woman was visibly busy tidying up a shelf, surrounded by books and boxes full of files that levitated around in an anarchic manner. She was small in stature, with dark skin and long black hair gathered into a ponytail that swayed with her movements.

With a wave of her wand, Rose lowered the volume of the music, startling the young woman, who turned sharply towards the newcomers as the boxes fell to the ground around her. Her beige dress told them she was a forensic scientist, quite different from what Harry had expected.

“Oh, Merlin!” she exclaimed, putting a hand on her chest. “I didn't hear you coming!”

“Clearly,” Rose replied with an amused smile. “We are the Aurors Rose Granger-Weasley and Henry Cooper. We were told to come to collect the results of Dwight Truttle's autopsy.”

“Ah, yes! I've got the report here somewhere,” she said, lifting up various piles of papers on one of the desks.

“Are you new here?” Harry asked her, looking around at the disorder in the room. “I've never seen you before.”

“Yes, I’ve just returned to the UK after a few years in Mumbai. I heard there was a position available, and I seized the opportunity!”

She suddenly let out an exclamation of satisfaction as she pulled out a green file and handed it to Rose. “I didn't even introduce myself! Eva Patil, nice to meet you!” she said with a bright and sincere smile.

“Just to be sure, you're not a serial killer, are you?” Harry ensured with a squint. “No secret reprehensible or illegal activities to declare?”

“What? No, of course not!” the young doctor hastened to reply. “I just sometimes sleep with my patients, but I assure you it's exceptional.”

Because of her serious and honest tone, Harry did not immediately understand what her words implied. When it finally struck, a smile slowly stretched across his lips and he pointed his finger at Eva, nodding appreciatively.

“Oho. I like you already much more than your predecessor.”

“Well, that's not very difficult to be better than him,” Rose mumbled next to him.

“Thank Merlin,” the coroner sighed. “I thought for a moment that you had taken it at face value. I could see myself having enemies on my first day. And you can call me by my first name, I'm only twenty-six years old!”

“Like me!” the young Auror said, happy to meet someone his own age.

Well, someone about his age. Give or take thirty years. A detail.

“What about dear Dwight?” Rose asked, opening the file in her hands. “How did he die?”

“A blunt force trauma to the head,” Eva explained, mimicking the gesture. “The shape of the wound corresponds exactly to the trophy you found at the crime scene. Detection spells confirmed that it was indeed his blood on it, but there was no trace of the murderer's DNA.”

The rest of the day went by at full speed and as night fell and the Department began to empty, Harry and Rose decided to postpone the interrogation of Hector Truttle until the following day. They only had a list of witnesses at the moment, but no real suspects in sight.

That evening, while preparing dinner, a vegetable quiche, the young Auror told Gabriel the details of the case, the latter listening attentively while cutting the tomatoes carefully.

“And I never want to have to imagine old people having sex ever again,” Harry concluded, beating the eggs, his body shivering involuntarily.

“Thank you for sharing with me _every_ detail of this investigation,” the Lieutenant replied. “Once it's over, how about we cast a memory charm on each other, mh? Just to forget them forever.”

“Deal,” the young man nodded, putting the finishing touches to his quiche, which he then put in the oven. After a few moments of silence, he turned to Gabriel and anxiously tapped his fingers on the worktop.

“Say, were you serious about finding a flat I like?”

“What?”

“What you told Rose this morning, that you were putting up with me until I found a new place.”

The prospect of being all alone again in a sad and empty flat didn't appeal to him at all. And he wasn't going to lie to himself, he enjoyed the Lieutenant's company. Very much so.

“No, it was so that she would stop asking questions.”

“So you don't mind if I stay?”

“No, of course not.”

“Awesome! Because I've got some decoration ideas, I hope you like yellow…” he said as he walked away, an enchanted smile stretching his lips.

“Wait!” Gabriel exclaimed as he chased after him, suddenly panicked. “I take back what I said, it does bother me!”

  
  


Harry vaguely recalled seeing images of the 1969 Woodstock Festival on the very modern — for the time — television of the Dursleys. He remembered these young people with long hair, full beards and colourful clothes, free and uninhibited; " _degenerates_ " according to his uncle.

Hector Truttle seemed to come straight out from that psychedelic period, with his brown hair gathered in a ponytail although his skull was almost bald, his sleeveless light leather jacket over a Tie Dye T-shirt and his bell-bottoms trousers. The final touch, his visibly vintage sandals, were a perfect complement to his hippie look.

The Aurors had summoned him that morning to ask him a few questions about his relationship with his father. Unfortunately, from the moment he walked through the door of the Department, it was clear that the man had a hostile aversion towards law enforcement.

“Aurors, oppressors! You cannot keep me here against my will!”

“Mr. Truttle, please,” Rose tried to reason with him with soothing movements of her hands. “You are not under arrest…”

“Not yet,” Harry whispered, crossing his arms, greatly amused by their witness's delusions.

“... We just want to know when you last saw your father…”

“I know very well what you want! Muzzle my freedom of expression. But I won't let it happen! You will not be able to silence my voice! I know that you are watching me, that you have been bugging me, but your methods of intimidation will not work!”

“Your father, Mr. Truttle…”

“Was in the pay of capitalism! The perfect embodiment of this individualistic and selfish world that delights in money and power, and for which you are the armed arms! He can rot in his luxurious mansion for all I care. I'll never go see him!”

Mr. Truttle Junior seemed to be badly negotiating his acid trip and Harry doubted that he was their culprit. He shared his thoughts with his colleague, who nodded slowly with a frown.

“Mr. Truttle,” she said, turning to the man in question. “We've already told you, your father is dead. He has been killed. We are investigating his murder.”

“A clever ruse to get me to come to him. But I am not fooled. You’ll have replaced his body with a dummy that will record my every move. The _Enlightened Wizard_ wrote about it in his January issue. The methods worthy of a neoliberal dictatorship of the Ministry have no mystery for me!”

“It's fascinating,” Harry suddenly intervened, leaning towards the man with an air of conspiracy. “And tell me, what are your thoughts on the Dragonpox vaccine?”

Curiously enough, they had great difficulty driving Hector Truttle out of the Department. The latter had decided to start a sit-in in the middle of the office in protest against the all-powerful potioneer lobbies — “Thank you very much, Harry” had mumbled Rose — after trying to sell vials of “Star Dust” to the Aurors, visitors and inmates present.

As Truttle was finally leaving, Liam made his entrance, accompanied by a handcuffed man whom he entrusted to a colleague to take him to the holding cells. The blonde-haired Auror then dropped into his chair and turned to his two colleagues.

“Boom!” he exclaimed, accompanying his words with a satisfied wave of his hands. “One less broom thief in the wild! Don't the streets of London already seem safer to you?”

“Well done, Liam,” Rose congratulated him with a smile.

“Fantastic,” Gabriel added as he approached them. “I saw that it was your worst enemy who was running the break room again today,” he added, turning to Harry. “Do you want me to take an order for you?”

“Offered so nicely, how can I refuse? I would like an Imperial Indian white tea with a floral hint, brewed for exactly five minutes and sixteen seconds in spring water at ninety-six degrees exac-”

“It’ll be a coffee, black, without sugar.”

“Thank you Gaby!” the young Auror replied with a sing-song tone.

“Don't call me Gaby,” the latter said as he walked away.

With her chin resting on her crossed hands, Rose watched them, pensively. “You should really go out together,” she said with a sigh.

“Gabriel and me? Pfft. That'll never happen because I find him repulsive, even though he thinks I'm absolutely perfect.”

“Oh, you're so naive. To think I haven't even started to pressure you. I'll have you know that my maid of honour speech is already ready.”

“Where are you at with the Truttle case?” Liam intervened, leaning over to his partner's desk to get a glimpse of the file. “I still can't believe you have the honor of investigating the murder of such a celebrity. I'm really jealous. Even though the last years of his life were marked by the many scandals of his past that resurfaced …”

“Scandals?” Harry asked, sceptical. “Dwight Truttle? Are you sure of what you're saying, Liam?”

“You don't know about it?” he replied hastily, suddenly excited at the prospect of giving him some juicy news.

“Yeah, rookie, you don't know?” Rose repeated sarcastically before turning to her colleague. “What's the scandal?”

“It's true that it came out in the 2000s, you were... Not there,” Liam said after reflection. “It's just rumours, but a few years ago a former member of the Howling Wolves team accused Truttle of betraying him and stealing his fiancée and taking his place in England's World Cup team. It was a big story at the time!”

“And is he still alive, this team-mate?”

“Oh no, he died shortly after he had told a journalist everything. If I'm not mistaken, I think his name was Bristlewand.”

“Mh. I've seen that name somewhere...,” Rose whispered as she began to search his file. “Bristlewand…”

“In the photo in Truttle's room?”

“No. Here!” she exclaimed, pulling out a sheet of paper. “On the list of employees in the residence. A certain Jenny Cavendish, born Bristlewand, a healer.”

“Uh,” Harry said, bending over to look at the picture the young woman was holding out. “She was the one whose face I didn't like right and who was really rude.”

“Jenny Cavendish?”the director of the Settingsun Residence asked, her face appearing amidst the green flames in the hearth of chimney number three. “She gave her letter of resignation this very morning. It will not be a great loss for us, if you ask me. She was a terrible employee and a-”

“Thank you for your cooperation!” Rose said, cutting their conversation short and turning to Harry. “Do you have her address?”

“Affirmative!”

The two Aurors went to Jenny Cavendish's flat on the first floor of a small old building. Harry knocked once at the door, with no answer other than the high-pitched barking of a dog. He did it again, louder.

“Mrs. Cavendish! It's the Aurors! Open the door!”

Still no answer, Rose raised her wand and whispered “ _Alohomora_ ”. The door opened, and they narrowly dodged plates that flew in their direction and crashed into the wall behind them.

Inside the flat, Jenny Cavendish was obviously busy preparing her luggage, but the untimely arrival of the Aurors had interrupted her. A small, very hairy dog was barking at her feet, ready to defend its owner from its threatening 15 centimetres high.

As Rose erected a shield to protect them from the attacks of their suspect, Harry cast a _Stupefy_ at her. Unfortunately, in the rush, he took a wrong aim and hit the animal instead.

“Oops!” he winced.

“JACKIE O!” Cavendish shouted, rushing towards the motionless dog. “You'll pay for that!”

With a quick motion she raised her wand to Harry and sent him an _Expulso_. The young Auror reacted too late and couldn't dodge it. His back hit the wall violently, causing a frame hanging next to him to fall and crash to the ground. When he stood up, he noticed that he had almost missed going through the open window just to his right.

“Phew,” he breathed. “That was a close call!”

He turned his attention to the suspect who was trying to defend herself against Rose's assaults. With his arm raised, the young Auror began to move towards her.

“ _Stupef_ -”

His spell was interrupted when he stumbled against a dog toy in his path. Harry lost his balance and felt himself falling backwards. He tried to grab hold of the pink curtain, which tore under his weight. Rose's red light hit Cavendish as the young man toppled out of the window.

He knew he didn't have much time to act. The ground was closing in at high speed and he concentrated with all his strength.

“ _Arresto Mo_ -”

_BUNG!_

“Are you sure you're alright?” Rose asked, staring worriedly at him.

“I’m perfectly fine!” Harry replied, crossing his arms. “Nothing’s broken! As I said, I'm immortal!”

“I frankly doubt it. It's a good thing that this dumpster was there to cushion your fall. Although I think I clearly heard the sound of your head hitting the ledge, didn't it?”

“Pfft. It didn’t even hurt,” he said, waving a dismissive hand. “Let's go, our murderer is waiting for us.”

The two Aurors entered the small interrogation room and settled down in front of Jenny Cavendish who looked at them with an angry stare. They did not have to ask many questions before she confessed everything to them.

“Dwight Truttle built his whole life on the ruins of my grandfather's,” she spat venomously. “He was his best friend, and he stole his career, his future, the woman he loved and destroyed his reputation. Lewis lived miserably the rest of his life. Truttle didn't deserve to end his days peacefully. So I killed him.”

“I was right!” Harry whispered as he leaned over to Rose. “This is a story of revenge!”

After signing her full confession, Jenny Cavendish was transferred to custody and Harry and Rose joined their colleagues, evident satisfaction on their faces.

“Not bad for the first time we've really teamed up, rookie!” the young woman exclaimed, slapping him on the back.

“Life is really getting back to normal, then?” Liam asked from his chair. “Like it used to be? Are you going to stay for good, Harry?”

“Of course I am! For good... Harry... Yes.”

His colleagues looked at him for a moment, frowning, surprised by his cryptic answer.

“I'm sorry. I think I have a concussion from bumping into that bin,” the young man said with a smile.

Then he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

“I knew it!” Rose exclaimed, pointing to him. “I mean, shouldn't we take him to St Mungo?”

Jack closed his eyes and let out a long sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Yes. Life was indeed going back to normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it! Don’t be shy, tell me what you think! (•̀ᴗ-)  
> As always, I am sorry for any mistakes. English is not my first language and even if I proofread everytime, I still miss mistakes.


	2. The day they celebrated Beltane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there’s a Ministry gala, anxiety, foreigners, suspicious drinks, and intense sex.

Gabriel had to admit it, Liam was right; the arranged rum was rather good and, without noticing it, he was already on his fourth glass. At his side, his colleague was raving about the quality of the food offered on the sumptuous buffet set up for the occasion.

“... And this fine hint of bergamot absolutely brings out the flavours of the citrus fruits, it's a delight. You should really taste this soufflé, Gabriel.”

The latter replied distractedly, his attention focused on the colourful crowd of guests gathered in the huge party hall. Coming from the four corners of the United Kingdom, and even the world, the Wizards and Witches had come to celebrate Beltane and the return of good weather at a sumptuous gala organised by the Ministry of Magic. This kind of festivities was a regular occurrence and any pretext was good to gather like this, whether it was to celebrate the change of seasons, to close sports or cultural events, or to welcome foreign delegations.

“... Perhaps the salt is missing, but the chilli pepper spices up this flan and you can almost feel the explosion of taste once in your mouth…”

Around them, large cherry blossom trees stood in all their splendour. Their twirling petals disappeared before they even touched the ground and their scent filled the springtime atmosphere of the place. The enchanted ceiling had taken on the orange-pink hue of an early evening sky, giving an impression of pre-summer sweetness as a band played cheerful and dancing folk tunes, to the delight of the guests.

“... Ah no, it's just simple fries. I wonder if I couldn't combine this sauce with these vegetables, I'm sure the effect would be great…”

Gabriel had rarely accepted invitations to Ministry receptions; such events were really not his cup of tea. However, Harry had insisted on going, claiming that there were always interesting things going on there, and the officer was finally persuaded. Thinking of the young man, Gabriel suddenly realised that he was no longer at his side.

“... But you can sense that there is a mastery of spices in their cooking. And I'm not saying this to belittle our local chefs, I'm just saying that the best murgh makhani are those found in New Delhi.”

“It's absolutely fascinating, Liam,” the Lieutenant said without really listening to him. “Say, did you see where Harry went?”

“Over there, I think,” his colleague replied with a vague hand gesture. “But it's been a while.”

“I’m going to find him. I don't know why, but I don't trust him, all alone in the middle of this crowd... He could perfectly well create a diplomatic incident without even realizing it.”

“And you're right,” the blonde-haired Auror nodded. “Remember the visit of the Centaur delegation... I thought we'd never manage to put out the fire in the House of Lords.”

Gabriel repressed the shiver of terror that gripped him just thinking back to that day. He had to find his partner as soon as possible. With a pat on the shoulder, he bid Liam goodbye and cautiously walked into the middle of the crowd.

This reception hall was definitely larger than Gabriel had imagined, making his task considerably more difficult. His progress was slow; every three metres he seemed to meet some acquaintance who insisted on starting a conversation, or even complete strangers who were simply enthusiastic about talking to him for some obscure reason.

A sudden burst of laughter in the middle of the hubbub drew his attention to his left and he saw Rose, in Scorpius' arms, in the middle of the dance floor. Their unbridled choreography was in total discordance with the music being played, but the couple didn't seem to pay the slightest attention to it. Judging by the pinkish hue of the young woman's cheeks, Gabriel could guess that she too had been tempted by a few glasses of rum.

Merlin, Harry couldn't have been far away. He would never have missed an opportunity to see a Malfoy — junior or senior, it didn't matter to him — making a fool of himself. If he wasn't there, Gabriel feared that he would be busy provoking some kind of catastrophe elsewhere. With a redoubled motivation, he started moving again.

While moving forward, he turned his head in the hope of seeing his partner, without success. At one point he managed to distinguish Jack, who was standing between the Director of the Auror Department and the Supervisor, with an empty expression on his face. Their eyes met and his superior gave him a slight nod, seemingly hoping that the officer would join them. The latter saluted him from a distance and then silently mouthed the name "Harry" and asked him if he had seen him pass.

Jack nodded and pointed to an opposite corner of the reception hall. Gabriel hurried to follow his hint, sensing the disappointed stare of the old Auror's face as it followed him, visibly resigned to spending the rest of the evening in the company of his dull companions.

Twenty minutes later, Gabriel was desperately beginning to think that he would never find Harry among the guests, when he miraculously heard his familiar voice coming from behind a fountain. The officer approached and found his partner in the middle of a conversation with a little moustached wizard who looked completely lost. He paused for a moment to observe the young man, elegantly dressed in a dark three-piece suit that made him stand out perfectly. Just to see him dressed like that, coming to the gala was worth it, he thought with appreciation.

“Because it's curious when you think about it, really,” the young Auror was saying with a pensive look. “I've never seen a single female Goblin. Or maybe they don't adhere to the same values of gender distinction as our society... Have you ever seen a Goblin in a dress?”

“Señor, se lo dije. No hablo inglés. No entiendo lo que dice.”

“An interesting argument, I grant you. Do you also have Goblins in Italy?”

“No. No soy italiano. Por favor, déjame en paz,” begged the man desperately. “No sé qué quiere de mí. Si continúa molestándome, me veré obligado a llamar a mis guardias.”

The man's distressed gaze suddenly fell on Gabriel and seemed to call out to him for help. His face looked familiar, but the Lieutenant could not remember where he knew him from. It was time to intervene.

“Henry!” he exclaimed as he walked towards them. “I think this good sir wants you to leave him alone. He doesn't understand a word you're saying.”

He nodded to the man who didn't waste a second to disappear into the crowd, apparently in a hurry to put as much distance as possible between himself and the person he had been talking to.

“I know he didn't speak English, but everyone seemed to have found someone to talk to,” Harry replied with a disappointed sigh. “I wanted to look busy, too.”

Harry's eyes suddenly lit up and he turned to grab a drink from a waiter who was passing by.

“I've been looking everywhere for you,” Gabriel said to him. “I hope you didn't insult too many people while you were alone.”

“Don't worry, I'm used to this kind of gathering,” the young man replied with a confident pout. “I was a hero, remember.”

The Lieutenant looked up to the sky. “How could I forget that you are the Savior of the Wizarding World? You hardly ever mention it.”

Except when he wanted to get a favour, escape a chore or just start a conversation. That was to say _constantly_.

“I was thinking more of the time I saved Kingsley Shacklebolt's life when he nearly choked on a cupcake at the Christmas feast. But yes, killing Voldemort counts too. You have no idea how many galas I've attended.”

“Mh. Maybe I should remind you how the last event we were invited to ended?”

The terrified cries of the guests that day still haunted the officer's dreams. Who could have guessed Centaurs manes were so… Flammable?

“That's not fair,” Harry replied. “It wasn't _entirely_ my fault. And I'm sure Miguelito had a great time with me even though he didn't understand a word.”

“Miguelito?”

“The man you just scared away. Miguel De Villasomething, a member of the Italian government, I think,” the young Auror added with a frown, visibly trying to remember what the man in question had told him. “It's a pity, I didn't even have time to tell him about my theory on Werevampires.”

“Miguel De Villalobos? He's not Italian!” Gabriel replied with dread. “He's the Minister of the Spanish Wizarding Armed Forces!”

His instincts had not been mistaken and he had arrived in time to avoid the diplomatic incident. Catastrophe narrowly averted, now he needed a drink, and quickly. The Lieutenant sighed nervously and finally spotted a waiter a few metres away. After telling Harry to stay put, he hurried to grab a drink and come back. At the same time, Rose suddenly appeared in front of them, slightly out of breath and with a radiant face.

“Phew,” she whistled, waving her hand in front of her in an attempt to cool down. “I can't dance anymore! Scorpius is unstoppable, so I sent him to get something to eat to take a break.”

“What? I missed Scorpius Malfoy wiggling on the dance floor?!” Harry exclaimed with a disappointed look.

“Why?” his colleague asked. “What were you doing?”

“He was too busy talking about the goblins' sexual identity to a high-ranking Spanish official,” Gabriel intervened.

“I wish I could have seen that! Is this your new way of flirting? It's an interesting technique, talking about embarrassing subjects with strangers. You must not be very successful…”

The Lieutenant stifled a mocking laugh, making it sound like a coughing fit.

“Har har, mock me as much as you want. Anyway, I hereby announce that I take a vow of chastity. The shop is closed. Indefinitely,” he concluded, giving the officer a sideways glance.

“Wasn't this already the case since you arrived in 2016?” the young woman laughed without noticing their exchange of looks.

His reply was interrupted by a waiter who stopped in front of them, dressed differently from the others they had seen so far. On his tray were small glasses filled with a purple, glittering liquid, which seemed to swirl lazily. Harry looked at it curiously for a few moments and then met Rose's gaze, obviously equally intrigued by the drink.

“Excuse me,” the young woman asked, looking up at the waiter. “What is this?”

The waiter held the tray a little more out in front of him.

“It looks like a drink made from a galaxy.”

“You shouldn't drink that,” Gabriel warned, looking at the glasses with circumspection.

“Да. Да. Давай, это афродизиак!” the man cheerfully said with a broad smile.

“What did he say?” Rose asked. “Does anyone here speak Russian?”

“Davaï etafradiziak?” Harry tried to repeat.

“Да! Да! это особый весенний коктейль.”

“It's probably a very bad idea, to accept a mysterious drink from a stranger who doesn't speak a word of English...,” the young woman whispered, her eyes glued to the tray.

“I'm not sure it's a cocktail approved by the Department of Gastronomic Affairs,” Gabriel added seriously.

“But it's so pretty,” his partner replied.

This powerful statement seemed to decide them. He and Rose looked at each other, nodded their heads and then each grabbed a drink under the encouraging gaze of the waiter, who then walked away. They carefully tasted the contents.

“It's not bad,” Harry commented.

“Spicy,” added his colleague.

“Sweet and fruity.”

“It sparkles a little in the mouth.”

“Are you two becoming oenologists, now?” the Lieutenant sighed as he watched them. “It's not as if it was a great vintage.”

“Here, taste it instead of mocking us,” the young Auror suggested.

Gabriel reluctantly accepted. He took a sip and raised his eyebrows; indeed, the taste was not unpleasant. A second one for the road and then he gave the glass back to his partner, who emptied it in one go.

The evening went on smoothly and Gabriel even surprised himself to have a good time without seeing the hours go by. While conversing with a colleague, he was careful to keep an eye on Harry's comings and goings without letting him out of his sight. Eventually, Harry joined them and tried to participate in the discussion, offering his questionable views on the management of interrogations in the Auror Department.

As he was arguing with his interlocutors, the Lieutenant noticed that the temperature was rising steadily. Was this normal? Uncomfortable, he loosened the knot in his tie a little and pulled on the collar of his shirt. A quick glance at the big clock told him it was almost midnight.

At his side, Harry seemed to grow impatient, no doubt annoyed that his suggestions were not being taken seriously. The heat was beginning to become disturbing and out of the corner of his eye he saw his partner open and then take off the waistcoat of his three-piece suit, his jacket having already been gone for some time. So he was not the only one affected.

However, the innocuous sight of the young man undressing seemed to raise the temperature even higher, and Gabriel could feel his cheeks blushing. He apologised to his interlocutor in a hurry and then turned his heels and walked to the toilet.

The Lieutenant bent over the sink for a long time, passing water over his face in the hope of cooling down, without much effect on the sensation of heat which seemed to pass through his body and spread pleasantly in the hollow of his belly. What was happening to him? Had he been drugged? He tried to pull himself together by ignoring this stupid thought.

“The mystery drink of the Russian,” he breathed as he suddenly stood up.

What was really in it? Oh, Merlin, what if they had been poisoned? He nervously ran his hand through his brown hair and then looked up at the mirror in front of him. Harry's dark eyes met his own, the young man having joined him without him noticing.

“Hey there,” the latter whispered sweetly.

At the sight of his rose-coloured cheeks, his slightly tousled hair and his rapid breathing, the desire to kiss the young man, to feel him, overwhelmed him. Gabriel stupidly realised that he had not been poisoned. He turned sharply to face Harry, who seemed to share his feeling, as he grabbed his neck without warning and kissed him eagerly while pressing him against the sink. The officer enthusiastically reciprocated the gesture, losing himself in the sensation.

“Oh,” a surprised voice suddenly interrupted, causing them to separate sharply. “Sorry. I'll come back later. Have a good night.”

The sound of the door closing followed and the two Aurors looked at each other for a moment in silence.

“Home?”

“Home.”

  
  


The door of the flat had hardly closed that Gabriel pressed Harry against it, their lips sealed in a burning kiss. The Lieutenant couldn't help but kiss him again and again, seemingly never having had enough. He felt his partner's fingers run through his hair and clench in his brown locks. His own hands slipped over the young Auror's body, one of them skillfully crawling under his shirt, the other closing in on the firm flesh of his ass.

When his fingers grazed one of his nipples, Harry shivered, his mouth opened in a silent sigh and his head tilted to the side. Gabriel took the opportunity to kiss his neck.

“You're not going to fuck me against the wall,” the young man declared emphatically, as the officer passed his left leg over his own hip to press himself a little closer to him.

Gabriel stopped, adjusting his grip on Harry's thigh and stroked the bare skin just above his trousers.

“Have you gone back on your vows of chastity?” he said with a smirk.

The young Auror's leg tightened against his waist, increasing the pressure of his crotch against the Lieutenant’s. The latter's breath left him for a moment during his partner's so slow, so good grind. His dark eyes with dilated pupils stared directly into Gabriel's, his cheeks had taken an even darker shade and his full lips were swollen with kisses.

“Would you rather I change my mind again?”

“You wouldn't be able to. You have no self-control.”

“That's true. Bedroom, now.”

As they clumsily took off their shoes and socks, they made their way to the room where Harry fell on the bed. Gabriel took a moment to admire him. The front of his pants strained, his shirt tucked up, revealing part of his stomach, his black, tousled hair. Then he joined him, placed himself above him, and kissed him deeply. As his kisses went down along the young man's jaw and neck, the officer felt a tugging at the hem of his shirt.

“Off, off,” Harry ordered in a low, insistent tone.

The Lieutenant did so, undoing the buttons in a hurry, and tossed it into a corner. He could feel the young Auror's appreciative gaze sliding down his body and he gave him a satisfied smile.

“I thought you found me repulsive,” he whispered in his partner's ear as his fingers opened the buttons of his shirt one by one.

“Acceptable, at best,” he replied.

“Coming from you, I take that as a compliment,” the officer said.

Then he kissed Harry again before he could disagree. The latter sighed and opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, letting their tongues touch. They pressed together, Gabriel's bare chest against his partner's now that his shirt was fully unbuttoned.

“Fuck, I really want you,” the Lieutenant said, caressing the burning skin under his fingers.

His words caused Harry to react, and he managed to roll them over and find himself sitting on Gabriel. His perfect ass pressed against Gabriel's erection, making him moan loudly as his fingers started fumbling with the zipper of his pants.

“I’d have sucked you off,” Harry said in a breath, “but I want you inside me now, so let's do this instead.”

The Lieutenant's hips jerked up in an involuntary movement and a cheeky smile stretched the young Auror's lips.

“You're evil,” the officer breathed without taking his eyes off him.

“Mh,” Harry nodded, pulling at Gabriel's trousers.

The latter helped him by lifting his hips and then decided that the young man was now overdressed, with his shirt — although unbuttoned — still on, as were his pants. He expressed his thoughts aloud.

“So do something about it,” Harry replied, raising his eyebrows.

“My pleasure.”

The shirt went first. Then Gabriel changed their position again and the young Auror found himself lying on his back while his partner took off his trousers and underwear in one go. Laying down a series of kisses, he moved up along his thigh, encouraged by the muffled sounds coming from the young man, up to his groin. When he finally took his hard cock between his lips, Harry let out a long, low moan.

“You're deliberately teasing me,” he breathed, tightening his fingers in Gabriel's hair, the sensation causing him to let out a sound of pleasure.

Harry quickly twisted himself to open the bedside table drawer and pulled out a condom and a tube of lube. He then threw them at his partner, hitting him on the shoulder.

“Be careful!”

“Oops,” the young man replied without looking sorry at all.

Gabriel opened the tube and poured the lube on his fingers, rubbing them together to warm it up. He looked up at Harry, who stared at him intensely and met his eyes.

“Are you ready?”

“I’ve been ready for hours”, he shot back, spreading his thighs a little farther apart.

Gabriel slid his fingers along his perineum down to his rim and the young Auror inhaled and relaxed under his touch. His head fell back on the bed and his mouth opened. A sigh escaped him when the officer penetrated him with a finger and his legs opened more.

The Lieutenant took his time, using one and then two fingers, moving them in and out, scissoring, twisting, while pulling moans from his partner. He finally pressed them against the latter's prostate, who let out a loud cry of pleasure. Harry suddenly opened his eyes and his burning gaze fell on Gabriel.

“Hurry up,” he ordered in a breath.

“I can't help it, the sounds you make are irresistible,” the officer replied with half a smile.

Then, without waiting for his answer, he added a third finger. The young Auror deserved to wait a little. Gabriel observed his face, his cheeks tinged with red, his hair stuck on his forehead by sweat, the way he bit his lower lip so as not to scream. The Lieutenant could feel his body tensing under his fingers, see his hands clench on the sheets beside him, hear the sound of their panting breaths. He stayed like this for a while, lost in the sensations, until Harry snapped.

Catching Gabriel off guard, he suddenly pushed him and repositioned them so that he was on top, and, fuck, he felt the excitement rise as he watched the young man take control. He saw him bend over to grab the condom, which he eagerly opened. He felt when the young Auror rolled it over his erection with dexterity.

“You're too slow,” Harry mumbled, standing above him and guiding his cock into him with one hand.

“Impatient,” the officer gasped out.

Gradually Harry lowered himself down and Gabriel could feel his warmth surrounding him. By the time the young man reached the base, they were both out of breath, Harry's fingernails biting small crescents into his partner's shoulders.

“Are you all right?” the latter asked.

Harry gave him a deadpan look before sliding almost off and slamming back down. Both men let out audible moans. Gabriel was used to being the most dominant one in bed until now; although Harry could be very feisty, he was more often happy to let himself be guided.

But at this moment, here Gabriel was, only able to moan and gasp as he tried to keep up with the movement of his hips while the young man controlled the rhythm. When the Lieutenant tried to put his hands on his partner's waist to regain control, the latter ran his fingers through Gabriel's hair and tugged. The officer groaned and released him.

“Do you like it when I take control?” Harry whispered, the corner of his lips slightly raised indicating his satisfaction, his pace not faltering even once.

“Yes,” Gabriel replied, almost in spite of himself, his eyes wide open.

Harry did a peculiar movement with his hips and his back arched. He tilted his head back with a sigh and Gabriel could not help but appreciate what he saw. From his half-opened lips came a moaning sound accompanied by a litany of swear words, his face reflected the ecstasy he felt. The body of the young man above him, taut with the effort, was a hypnotic sight. Gabriel could feel the muscles in his thighs contracting with every movement, and he let his hands slide over his partner's wet skin.

The Lieutenant rolled his hips to meet Harry's movements as he began to moan louder and louder.

“I'm not going to last very long if you keep going,” the latter breathed, opening his eyes to look down at him.

“Yes,” replied the Lieutenant, panting. “C’mon. Before me, I want you to-”

Harry bent down and kissed him eagerly. The kiss was followed by another, and then changed, becoming more of a mixture of their breaths. The young man bit his lower lip, and the sensation made him groan with pleasure. On his face, Gabriel saw the concentration as he tried to find the perfect angle to stimulate his prostate with every thrust. The officer then closed one hand around his erection and Harry moaned delightfully, pressing into it so that he was fucking into the hand and back onto his partner’s cock.

Gabriel could feel his imminent orgasm, his abdominal muscles tightened and a soft yet vivid sensation ran through him. He quickened the movements of his hand and relished in the deep cry that Harry let out, the way his whole body tensed for a moment, his mouth opening as he gasped.

A second later, the young man came with a long, satisfied sigh. The Lieutenant could feel the pressure around his own cock, impossibly tight, the feeling absolutely incredible. He controlled himself to hold on a little longer, not wanting to let himself tip over the edge just yet. Above him, Harry took a breath, gleaming with sweat, looked down and smiled at Gabriel. The latter looked at him, his breath taken away at the sight of this smile, brilliant, sincere and mischievous, which illuminated his partner's face.

“Come on, Gabriel,” the young man gasped, rolling his hips, his voice slightly hoarse. “Don't leave me waiting.”

It only took him two jerky thrusts and then Gabriel’s back arched, overwhelmed by the wave of pleasure provoked by his orgasm. He could hear Harry choke a moaning sound, probably due to the feeling of overstimulation. The young Auror then let himself fall back and rolled to his side, still out of breath. They stayed for a few minutes without making the slightest movement, staring silently at the ceiling.

“Merlin...,” Harry finally said, running a hand over his face and then through his hair before letting it fall back on the bed.

“Yeah.”

“I don't know what was in that Russian drink, but that was fucking great. Davaï, etafradiziak indeed. We should accept more often suspicious cocktails offered by strangers who don't speak a word of English.”

“On principle, I say no,” Gabriel replied, turning his head to look at him. “But this time, I think I agree with you.”


End file.
